Greyhawk 31FK weight?

[davidki]

Well, as long as you don't carry much water (8lb per gallon) and the tongue weight max would be 500lbs... then depending on passengers and how many that can add up... I'd guess if it were my wife, myself, 2 grown kids and grand kids.. it would be close to 800lbs or even 850lbs... Phew, your right it's adding up fast!

[Bluesky46]

David... mine is a 2013 Greyhawk 31SS. Not sure they make that model but it's nearly identical to the 31FK except for arrangement of the kitchen, couch and table. 4,100# in tow is not too bad on flat roads, but we have lots of mountains around here so you just have to be prepared to go slow and try not to piss off everyone behind you. I have looked at Jeep Wranglers, and from what I recall they are a little lighter. I'm still researching the Fiat 500C. I understand the manual tranny version can be flat towed with no modifications.

[WDW]

Well we had a nice weekend and decided to pull our 4 week old 2015 31FK out of her storage garage and give her a little exercise for a 75 mile ride and do some odds and ends around her at the house. That said we took her over to the gravel pit and they obliged us with their scales and took the following readings:
Front axle 4680; rear 7700; gross 12440 which was with half a tank of propane and just a half a tank of gasoline and no other weight except for the driver. The thing of it is if you add up the front axle and rear axle numbers it totals 12380 in the gross weight that was taken to midscale. could this be affected by how far forward I had pulled with the front axle in that measurement and how much was left on the scale with the rear axle when I pulled off?

The yellow factory tag states 12426 is the manufactured weight with a full tank of propane in gasoline. I guess in the end all the numbers are relative and that if you use their manufactured wait the gross weight that I have from the scale today I only weigh about 14 pounds given that I was sitting in the vehicle when they did the coach weight! LOL. Oh and don't I wish…

PS: Possible lake effect snow in our forecast for later this week...here in sunny Western New York where it hit 70 today!

[davidki]

WEW, Your so close I wouldn't loose any sleep over it.. Actually it looks pretty good. So on the little yellow tag.. what does it say for Carry capacity? And have you identified it is a 2014 chassis with 22,000lbs as the specs say on Jayco...

I was a bit annoyed, I called Jayco today... Talked with someone about weights.. She only had what was on the brochure and an older carry capacity of 1760lbs or so... I asked if that was based on a 22000 lb frame of the 2015 and she was puzzled .. she wanted to know if I wanted to talk to sale... I said now is there a way you can call over to the plant and ask them about MH's coming down their line and what the yellow tag says for a MH with a 22,000 lbs chassis... she took my number and said someone would call me back. . that was at 10am this morning.. You guessed it.... No Call!

I also asked her about the warranty of the roof, she said Jayco warranty was 2 years but the Manufacture warranty was another 10 years on a declining scale ... but she was not sure what was covered... and it meant that I have to have proof that I resealed the roof every 12 months so, that was some good information..

If you can WDW, check and see if your chassis is the 22,000 lb for the 2015 coach and see if you can find the sticker with the sticker weight for CCC..
Thanks

[WDW]

Yes ours is 22,000 with th occ stickered at 2074. The Ford was manufactured in April 2014 and the Jayco assembly was completed in June.

[davidki]

WDW, thanks, that is what I was looking for the OCC weight.. that should be a safe capacity for a small family..

[msturtz]

Just to be very clear the 22,000# is the GCWR (Gross Combination Weight Rating) which is the maximum you can weigh including the weight of any towed vehicle. The maximum GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) is still 14,500#. The GAWR also comes into play the Ford front axle is rated at 5,000# and the rear at 9,600# (Yes I know that is over the GVWR but that is common). Funny thing Ford puts a Dana 70HD under the E-450 chassis which is technically rated at 11,500 or 10,500 but due to the E rated tires on motorhomes that limits the maximum to 9,600#. Anyway, I hope this helps. Obviously Ford could have changed this information since I last checked.

[davidki]

Ok MIchael... Now you really have me confused... I guess the bottom line for me is what is the amount of cargo and passengers can be added once you fill the gas tank (even if the water tank is empty) propane ... just the bodies and stuff you carry with you amount.. I know that the tow capacity is 5,000 lbs.. I have not had my coffee this morning and I"m running a bit slow!

So weather it is a 20,500lb chassis 2014 and below vs the 22,000 lb in 2015 the carry capacity does not change? The person at Jayco I asked didn't really know other than looking at the brochures and I have yet to receive a call back from someone she said knows... Go figure..

[msturtz]

Originally Posted by davidki

Ok MIchael... Now you really have me confused... I guess the bottom line for me is what is the amount of cargo and passengers can be added once you fill the gas tank (even if the water tank is empty) propane ... just the bodies and stuff you carry with you amount.. I know that the tow capacity is 5,000 lbs.. I have not had my coffee this morning and I"m running a bit slow!

So weather it is a 20,500lb chassis 2014 and below vs the 22,000 lb in 2015 the carry capacity does not change? The person at Jayco I asked didn't really know other than looking at the brochures and I have yet to receive a call back from someone she said knows... Go figure..

I just looked on the Ford Commercial site for the E-450 cutaway. The maximum Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) which is the weight of the passengers, rig, food, propane, clothes and everything in it is still 14,500#. The only thing that changed was the tow rating. Oddly enough that changed a few years ago when it went from 19,500# to 22,000#.

[davidki]

So, in that case the 22,000 really bought the user anything over the 19,500...Ok, that makes sense or does it.. Like you said, it all comes back to the 14,500 lb rating...
Now, the tow capaicity is still 5,000lbs? I wonder why the 22,000 comes in to play...I guess it doesn't matter

[msturtz]

Originally Posted by davidki

So, in that case the 22,000 really bought the user anything over the 19,500...Ok, that makes sense or does it.. Like you said, it all comes back to the 14,500 lb rating...
Now, the tow capaicity is still 5,000lbs? I wonder why the 22,000 comes in to play...I guess it doesn't matter

Ford upped the tow rating from 5000# to 7,500#. This means you can legally tow up to 7,500# with 750# tongue weight as long as you do not exceed your GVWR or GAWR. So, in short you do in fact gain something from that increased towing capacity. Unfortunately to get that tow rating is a bit more complicated on an MH because you can't simply bolt on a 7,500# hitch due to the butt welded frame rail extensions. If your Jayco warranty has expired there are many shops that will do a "sub-frame" beef up to Ford specifications that will allow you to safely tow up to 7,500#. However Jayco will void your entire warranty if you remove their hitch and do this. Ford however has no problem with it provided that it is done to their specifications.

[davidki]

Alright here is the scoop from the Jayco manufacturing floor..
1. 29mv. Loaded with full fuel and LP (no water, passengers or cargo) NCC is 1855
2. 31DS Loaded with Full Fuel and LP (no water, passengers or cargo) Ncc 1980
NCC "Net Carry Capacity"

According to Jayco..the Tow capacity they warranty is 5000 max. (so I assume they to not extend the chassis rails to the back. In this case, no the 22,000 lb does not matter

As I got the Jayco numbers from Jayco Manufacturing ... .I'm sticking with it!

So, I"ll recap.. I was real interested in the difference with the Forest River Sunseeker and the Forester in the same size has right about the same NCC.. maybe a little more depending on the model (1, 2 or 3 slides). When I called Forest River the story was they send the chassis to the "Coachman" facility (who builds up the frames) add length to the frame by stretching it (I wonder what kind of machine does that)... and they put it together with a heavier hitch...and they warranty it as 7500 lbs and they show 500lb tongue weight.

Honestly, I was not trying to stir anything up.. we just wondered how they did that and we noticed the 22,000 lb chassis where they were 19,500 in the past with a 5,000 lb tow weight. I'm over it now... I'm moving on...
Dave

[msturtz]

It is very wise to stick with what Jayco says because it isn't worth losing your warranty. If you need 7,500# towing purchase a rig from a different manufacturer.

[davidki]

Not just the warranty.. Loose the insurance and be fined for being over weight.. No thanks.
Dave

[msturtz]

Technically if you are under the Jayco GCWR sticker you won't be fined for being overweight. The GCWR, GVWR and GAWR rules apply. All Jayco can do is void your warranty for installing an aftermarket hitch and sub-frame beef-up to FORD specifications allowing you to achieve the Jayco 22,000# GCWR sticker. The sticker on the hitch is only the hitch rating and isn't used by law enforcement or insurance companies unless you are exceeding the hitch rating. The only reason Jayco puts a 5K hitch on the back is because of the weak frame rail extensions.

[Bluesky46]

Lots of info to digest here, but it appears the 22,000 chassis would only come into play if you were going to tow over 5,000#. I can't imagine ever doing that, so will not worry about it. I think 5,000# is a LOT of weight to tow, and like I said earlier, looking to keep my vehicle in tow weight closer to 3,000#-3,500# if possible. I think a bigger issue is keeping these vehicles properly loaded, and compliant with GVW front vs rear. I cannot imagine a 14,500# GVW being loaded to the limit, and not being overweight in the rear.

[NC Roamer]

OP here. Finally got a chance to weigh the Greyhawk 31 FK. The only passengers were my wife and me and there was no toad.

The forward kitchen pantry, fridge and cabinets above the sofa were filled with food for a week. The storage beneath the sofa held the smaller Christmas gifts with a couple of large heavy ones on the bunk above the cab.

FW and propane tanks were full with the black and grey tanks empty. I had loaded the forward, right cargo compartment with heavy stuff (tools, a case of water bottles and a gallon of RV antifreeze) thinking to shift some weight off the rear axle. As you will see below, I did just that.

The rear cargo compartment had a 66 lb. compressor from home in case I need to re-winterize on the road. It also held assorted items such as water hoses and an electrical drop cord. Unlike a summer camping trip where we need only shorts and t-shirts, we packed heavy winter clothing and boots in the bedroom storage.

We stopped at a Pilot, filled the gas tank and pulled onto the CAT scales. With my wife and me in the front seats it weighed:
Front - 5,140 lbs.
Rear - 8,720 lbs.
Total - 13,860 lbs.

Comparing those weights with the door sticker:
GAWR Front - 5,000 lbs.
GAWR Rear - 9,600 lbs.
GVWR - 14,500 lbs.

So we were loaded heavier than for a normal camping trip yet had an extra 640 lbs. of capacity with a slightly overloaded front axle. Good to know that we were not seriously out of balance and a slight cargo adjustment was all it needed.

[WDW]

AWSOME where you off to?

[NC Roamer]

Drove from Fuquay-Varina, NC to Nashville, TN to spend Christmas with daughter, son-in-law and our one year old grandson. Nice ride through the NC-TN mountains with very little traffic. We'll "camp" in their apartment complex parking lot for a few days. :-)

[WDW]

Nice. Merry holidays to you all!